1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a cyclopropanecarboxylate.
2. Description of Related Art
As for a method for producing a cyclopropanecarboxylic acid ester by transesterification reaction, for example, a method employing a sodium alkoxide catalyst has been disclosed (JP-A-52-128336) as well as a large number of the studies on the alkoxide catalysts of transition metals such as Ti (JP-A-52-128337, German Patent No. 2822472, British Patent No. 2005269).
However, in any of these transesterification reaction all catalysts required anhydrous conditions due to its stability in the presence of moisture, and hence should be stored, handled and reacted in an anhydrous condition, and thus they are not always satisfactory for an industrial manufacturing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a cyclopropanecarboxylate readily in good yield by conducting a transesterification reaction between a cyclopropanecarboxylate and a monohydroxy compound in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide, which method is advantageous in that said alkali metal hydroxide is not only inexpensive and readily available but also stable and can be readily handled.
Thus the present invention provides
a method for producing a cyclopropanecarboxylate of formula (3): 
wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 each independently represent:
a hydrogen atom, halogen atom,
an optionally substituted alkyl group,
an optionally substituted alkenyl group,
an optionally substituted aralkyl group or
an optionally substituted aryl group; and
R7 represents:
an optionally substituted alkyl group,
an optionally substituted aralkyl group, or
an optionally substituted aryl group,
which comprises:
contacting a cyclopropanecarboxylate of the formula (1) 
wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined above, and
R6 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an optionally substituted phenyl group,
with a monohydroxy compound of the formula (2):
R7OH xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2) 
wherein R7 is the same as defined above, in the presence of an alkali metal